Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Muncie, Indiana, September 17, 1996
On September 17, 1996 at about 6:55 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-4, registered N952JT, was destroyed in an accident near Muncie, Indiana. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
was the in-flight disconnection of the horizontal and vertical stabilizer forward attachments.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1996 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Muncie, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4
- Registration
- N952JT · no longer on the register · serial 2633
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Two pilots departed in the amateur built airplane for a local flight. About 10 miles from the departure airport, the airplane was observed to descend into the terrain. The activity of the airplane prior to the accident and/or the individual operating the airplane controls at the time was not determined. Subsequent to the accident an examination of the airplane determined that the carry-through portion of the horizontal stabilizer, which included the forward attachment for the vertical stabilizer, had become disconnected in flight. The particular part was not found. The entire right horizontal stabilizer and the outboard half of the right elevator departed the airplane in-flight. The lower rudder attach fitting bolt was missing at the impact site, and there was no evidence that the bolt was in place at the time of the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,668 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 50 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, April 5, 1996; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIE at 6:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from KMI, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.